Langone vs. Spitzer

Ken Langone is set formally to launch his crusade against Eliot Spitzer at a speech to the Cato Institute today, Reuters reports.

Not exactly helpful to Spitzer, as Langone can presumably raise quite a bit of money for Tom Suozzi, creating a real primary.

On the other hand, the image of enraged, stymied tycoons pledging to crush the meddling Attorney General does nothing to dispell the image of Eliot as a crusader for ordinary citizens. It’s sort of a cartoon, in fact. One wonders whether Langone will wear a top hat for the occasion.

And it’s hard to see Eliot losing public relations points on the specific substance of his dispute with Langone: Dick Grasso’s compensation from the New York Stock Exchange. When asked about the case on NY1 a few weeks ago, Suozzi raised some general questions; but Suozzi will have at some point to talk about whether he thinks Grasso’s pay was appropriate.